Democrats will pump in more taxpayer money to keep the rebates coming, said Stephen Spruiell in National Review. But the program itself is a "clunker." The bill requires that all the jalopies people trade in must be crushed and shredded, which, as Henry Payne pointed out in National Review, will punish the "already hurting used-car and -parts businesses." And "the victims will be lower-income Americans who buy only used parts and vehicles."

The "surprisingly popular rebate program" has clearly "provided a shot in the arm to the struggling auto industry," said Katharine Q. Seelye in The New York Times. But with "cash for clunkers" suspended so quickly, "confusion reigned" over what will happen next—the White House says the program would continue. And the Michigan congressional delegation is determined to get "more money to keep the program alive."